#Bin #Laden #family #donated #1million #Prince #Charles #charity #report
Prince Charles, heir to the British throne, accepted a £1 million ($1.19 million) donation to his charitable foundation from the family of 9/11 mastermind Osama bin Laden, The Sunday reported Times.
Although there is no indication of any wrongdoing by the Saudi family members, the revelation increases scrutiny of the 73-year-old prince’s charities, which have been rocked by allegations of criminal misconduct.
Several of his advisers urged Charles not to accept the donation from family patriarch Bakr bin Laden and his brother Shafiq – half-brothers of terror leader Osama – according to sources cited by the newspaper.
Charles, 73, approved the donation to the Prince of Wales Charitable Fund (PWCF) when he met Bakr, 76, at Clarence House in London in 2013, despite objections from advisers to the trust and its office, the newspaper reported.
Ian Cheshire, chairman of PWCF, said the donation was agreed by the five trustees at the time.
British police launched an investigation into another Charles charity in February over allegations of a money scandal involving a Saudi businessman.
The head of the Prince’s Foundation resigned last year following an internal investigation into the allegations.
Michael Fawcett, the foundation’s chief executive, originally agreed to step down from his post following newspaper revelations about his ties to a Saudi national.
The man, tycoon Mahfouz Marei Mubarak bin Mahfouz, had donated large sums to restoration projects of particular interest to Charles.
Fawcett, a former valet to the Prince of Wales who has been close to Queen Elizabeth II’s heir for decades, is said to have coordinated efforts to bestow Mahfouz with a royal honor and even British citizenship.
Mahfouz reportedly denies any wrongdoing.
The Charity Commission, which registers and oversees charities in England and Wales, said in November it had launched a formal inquiry into donations received from Mahfouz’s charity which were destined for the prince’s foundation.
Established in 1986, the Prince’s Foundation is not regulated by the Charities Commission but is registered with the Scottish Charity Regulator.
The Scottish Authority launched its own inquiry in September into reports that the foundation had accepted cash from a Russian banker previously convicted of money laundering.
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